Introduction to Game Theory and Mechanism Design

In multi-agent systems multiple agents with individual preferences interact in a common environment. For the design of and proper understanding of interaction in multi-agent systems appropriate mathematical concepts are required. Game theory provides a formal framework and equilibrium concepts for the analysis of strategic situations. Mechanism design is concerned with the development of multi-agent systems with desirable game-theoretic properties in settings where the preferences of the agents are unknown to the designer. Its results also pertain to what is mathematically possible and impossible in this respect. Put this way, the relevance of game theory and mechanism design for multi-agent research might seem obvious. Nevertheless, neither game theory nor mechanism design are standardly part of a curriculum in computer science. This course aims to fill this gap.